Steampunk Falls: Victorian Ventures
by TheOptimisticSpectator
Summary: In another reality, set in a Victorian-esque landscape of monstrous machinations and 18th-19th century culture, Dippens and Margery Pineford (Dipper & Mabel Pines), two 15 year old orphans, traverse around the world to undergo adventures of all kinds, from goofy escapades, to perilous endeavors, to heartbreaking events, meeting new friends and foe alike on the way. Rated T - M.
1. A Baffling Beginning

**A Baffling Beginning (Ch. I)**

 _A wintry night, the moon shined acrimoniously upon the beautiful landscape, save for the few parcels of little hamlets sprinkled among the blanket of flowing green. The dark-grey clouds above softly showered down snowflakes, which slowly fluttered down to the ground. The current region, Friedmont, in the country of Galigonia, was known as a farming culture, and prided themselves on producing only the finest harvests._

 _In one house specifically, in one of the little hamlets scattered throughout the landscape, was a pair of twins who were known as rowdy rascals amongst the rest of the villagers._

"Oy! Drop the damn chicken, ya pigeon-livered ratbags!"

A pudgy man sporting a blood-stained apron ran after two teenagers, who were laughing boisterously as they scurried away from the butcher. In Margery's arm was a chicken, which was clucking in surprise from the sudden abduction. Dippens, who was running alongside her, looked back to flash the bird to the butcher, who began cursing as he found a burst of speed.

"When I catch you two, your asses are grass!"

This only incited more raucous chortles from the scruffy scoundrels he was pursuing. However, he began to tire quickly, as his chubby build, albeit strong thanks to the physical labor he had done all his life, was slowed down by his chubbiness, a result of years indulging in the luxuries of being the butcher for the community, especially a farming one.

He slowly came to a stop, his hands on his knees as he panted heavily, using his willpower to avoid vomiting onto the grass as his adrenaline slowed. He looked up to see the kids running up a steep hill. He felt anger at having allowed the troublesome twits to escape their punishment, but decided he'd simply wait till they came back down. He could always inform the village head of their actions, in which they would be missing their meal for the following days.

He shivered, seeing the snow begin to accumulate on the ground, as well as the wind only reinforcing this chilling cold as it blew it across the landscape, ramping up in power as the clouds began to pervade the air even further in thickness. The butcher waved his hand in dismissal, walking back to the slaughterhouse to finish his work.

"They can freeze in this damnable cold as much as they want."

Up on the hill, Dippens and Margery slowed down, finally stopping at the tip of the rather peaked hill, which gave them a beautiful sight of a flowing landscape, which was heavily dotted with white speckles of snowflakes. Margery, who was panting along with Dippens, finally fell on her butt to the grass below, seating the chicken on her lap, to which it clucked once. She looked at the scenery not with amazement, but rather boredom and want. She gazed over at her brother, who was staring out as well, but instead thinking. He and her both wanted more than this plain, open land, with nothing to offer but tedious jobs, tilling fields and harvesting under the harsh sun for months on end, only to rinse and repeat the process until they gained enough money in hopes of traveling the land to see more and better opportunities than this boring place.

However, they could not even aspire to that, as they were the absolute worst at farming. Their active minds and fast-paced thought processes prevented them from keeping consistent to such unimaginative and insipid tasks, especially one that did not engage their interest whatsoever. After a few moments of contemplation, Dippens looked over at the chicken in Margery's lap.

"What are you gonna name that, Marge?"

Margery thought for a second, averting her down towards the chicken. She flashed a sh*t-eating grin.

"Clucks."

At the sound of the name, she bursted out laughing, which was accompanied by rapid snorting of the nose. Dippens lowered his head, rubbing his temple with two fingers to follow the pattern of tropes he used in situations such as this.

"I feel bad for that chicken." He commented idly.

"I don't. He'll be accompanying us on so many adventures when we get out of this crappy hamlet. In fact, I heard that, in Norena, they're constantly inventing new things like 'steam engines' and 'factories'! We should totally go there when we do leave this place, Dips!"

Margery squealed in delight, her wide grin shining even in this dreary weather. Dippens couldn't help but smile at her beaming positivity. He looked back down at the ground.

At the thought, he remembered hearing about new innovations cropping up in the country far west, overseas, known as Norena, a place rumored to be discovering advanced technology everyday. Although He and Margery lived in such a rural area, even they had heard, from passing travelers, about the great, imperial cities over there, which were told to be built almost entirely out of metal and operated by things called 'gears'. Dippens was absolutely fascinated by these tales, which only led his mind to be tortured even more by his currently-mundane lifestyle.

They sat there, indulging in their own minds for a couple minutes, before Dippens broke the silence once again.

"You know, Marge, there's gonna be consequences for stealing that chicken."

Margery slightly tightened her hold around the chicken, causing it to cluck in irritation. She had a forlorn look in her eyes as she continued to gaze out over the landscape with her deep, brown eyes.

"I know." She mumbled quietly. "I know, Dips. But I didn't want Clucks to be killed, especially by that gibfaced jollock." She sighed, petting the chicken, to which it cooed from the pleasant touch.

"Still, if I have to go more day without proper food, I honestly think i'm gonna-"

Screaming pierced the air, and the two turned around quickly, hearing it emit from the village.

In the distance, the two could see a large group of horse-riding bandits edging over the wide road that led into the hamlet. They whooped and hollered as they raised swords, torches, and flintlock pistols above their heads. Below, the community itself was in panic, as people of all kinds scampered around, grabbing any available weapons they could for the oncoming attack. It was only when around half of them were either ready to fight or hiding that the bandit group slammed into the village.

Pandemonium ensued. Villagers screamed in horror as blood and violence were both slung about. Fire soon sparked up in the bleak night, first starting in a pile of hay before dotting around on houses and other buildings. It was slow, however, in spreading, mainly due to the cold weather and snow.

Nevertheless, chaos did not die down anytime soon. The villagers, having been sleepy and fatigued after harvesting such bountiful crops, were already at a massive combat disadvantage, yet still the raiders seemed much more adept at fighting than even an experienced warrior. In the end, it was like sheep taking on lions, and was blatantly proven by the slaughter that ensued. Villagers were cut down left and right, blood staining the grass and dirt below them.

"We've got to help them!"

With that said, Margery bolted down the hill, dropping the chicken as she did so and picking up a big stick that was laying in the grass. She waved it above her head and shouted in anger.

Dippens, on the other hand, was not so eager to start a fight. Although he was furious at the enemy killing off his fellow villagers, he had seen the unrivaled fighting power they had just displayed, and so his mind was frozen in a state of terror. He didn't want to die. He was just getting life started!

Further down the hill, Margery was charging, using the downward slope as an advantage. She roared when she saw one of the raiders propped up on a horse, his sword covered with new blood, which oozed off the edge. He turned around just in time to see Margery bounce off the ground with agile grace, thrusting the blunt edge of the stick into his armor. The force behind it was enough to knock him off the horse, even sending him flying a couple meters away. He hit the ground with a loud grunt, and sat there groaning as he clutched at his chestplate, surely having seriously bruised a rib or two from the accelerated impact of that stick.

Margery then moved on into the village, waving the stick around like a barbarian. Seeing the whole spectacle, Dippens finally found the courage within himself to break himself from his frozen state of perpetual fear, and dashed down the hill, grabbing up the sword that the raider dropped. That same raider brought his head up and, seeing the kid equip himself, contorted his face in anger, and tried to get up. Dippens, out of fear, ran over and smacked the raider with the butt end of the sword. The raider fell unconscious as a big bruise welled up on his forehead. Even though the bandits had killed many of his friends, Dippens was not one to kill so easily himself. Trying to contain the fear and adrenaline coursing through him, he ran into the village to find Margery.

After a few moments of avoiding slashes and getting knocked onto the ground by fleeing villagers, he managed to find Margery engaged in a sword-to-stick fight with one of the raiders on foot. The match was completely in favor to the bandit, though, as Margery nor he had ever actually fought with weapons in their lives. Sure, there were times when the two had to get a bit rough and tumble with bullies, but nothing serious. The bandit himself already saw the inexperience in the girl's fighting, and managed to smack the stick out of her arm. She yelped at the pain of the sword's side slapping against her wrist, and she held it with her other hand, wincing. The bandit looked down on her with a sneering expression, and brought up his sword to slay her.

"NO!"

Dippens screamed at the top of his lungs, his movement now enhanced. Without thinking, he dashed over and swiped his blade down on the bandit, not seeing where it hit.

Time slowed back down to its normal pace, and Dippens saw the bandit stare down at something. He averted his eyes downward to see the bandit's limb now bleeding profusely, his hand laying in the grass, the blade still clenched tightly.

The bandit then screamed in agony, falling to his knees as he clutched his bleeding arm. Dippens looked down at him with horror, frightened by his own action. Nevertheless, he shook his head and looked over at Margery, who had a long cut that traced down her cheek, as the sword still sliced her skin when the hand fell off, seeing as it was poised over her at the time.

Dippens didn't get the chance to say anything, though, before he felt a massive shockwave of pain hit him in the back of the head, and he fell over on his side, grasping at his head, to which it pulsed with pain rapidly. He quickly lost consciousness, though, and his body slacked.

"Dippens!"

Margery rushed over to grab her brother by the shoulders. Behind him was one of the bandits, who looked pissed from what the two had just done.

"Holy sh*t in a shack, did this pair of farm whelps actually just put _two_ of my well-trained warriors out of commission?"

Margery looked up behind her to see an approaching figure. A fire blazed up beside him, its light shining cruelly upon his features.

A man, medium-sized yet built, sporting a rather snazzy outfit. He wore knee-high leather boots, his brown trousers tucked in so as to not drape over and get muck on them. For his torso, he adorned a gray waistcoat, a black overcoat covering up most of his vest and also draped to his thighs. On his head, a flat-cap was firmly held against his head. He held a colt peacemaker in his right hand and a falchion sword in his left, to which he flicked upwards slightly with his wrist idly.

He finally came over, crouching down and staring at Margery with curiosity. He had then looked up, and eventually around at the carnage inflicted by his men. His eyes furrowed in fury, and he scowled rather scarily. He did a 180 to talk to his second in command, yelling at him.

"Henry! I thought I told you to keep killing to a minimum! What the hell is all... _this_?!"

He swept his hand over the death and disarray that the village was in. Henry, the nervous second in command, yelped at his sudden hostility.

"Well, sir, it got a little out of hand since they actually fought back-"

He yelped in fright once again as Ames grabbed his collar, pulling him only inches away from his face, which was contorted in anger. He began sweating in fear.

" _Are you telling me these villagers were actually a challenge to you and my soldiers_?"

"N-no, sir, b-but we could-couldn't exactly knock 'em out e-easily…"

Ames growled in disgust, throwing Henry to the ground, to which the rather young man hit the ground with an _umph._ Ames turned his attention to the rest of his underlings, starting with a lecture on their ability to deal with lowly farmers and ending his speech by barking orders. The well-trained ruffians scurried about, gathering supplies and tending to any wounded on both sides of the fight.

Ames turned back to Margery, who was puzzled by the whole encounter. After slaughtering nearly their entire village, this man was now carrying out humanitarian acts like he didn't just cause the whole deal in the first place. Ames saw her look and put on a sneer.

"Ya think I care about these pitiful farmers? I only need them 'cause they can go for a good price in the slave market."

He leaned down to the twins, to which Margery leaned back in fear of the encroaching intimidation the man was emitting. He wore a scarf that covered his mouth and a black eye mask, which only shrouded the man in mystery more so than before.

"And you two are coming as well."

"Why though?"

Ames flinched at this statement. It seemed to have irritated him, and he got up, looking down at her before signaling the bandit behind Dippens to do something. The bandit nodded, and moved to shove a sack over her head, throwing Margery into darkness.


	2. The Wayward Warrior

**_IMPORTANT:_**

 _In a couple chapters, I will be bringing in characters that will be a part of the story. They can be any of the following:_

 _\- Low-class worker_

 _\- Gang member_

 _\- Police constable_

 _\- Businessman/woman running a business/shop (has to pertain to the time period, 1896)_

 _\- Noble, or wealthy mogul_

 _\- Prostitute (Yes, it is for the plot)_

 _So I am asking YOU, the readers, to come up with characters that can be brought into this story. You must come up with their names, traits, a bit of background history on them, physical description and their specialization (melee - knives ; shooting - preferred gun) etc. I will PM you if I approve of the character, and bring them into the story. You can then see your own user-created character in the story!_

* * *

Template

 **Full Name:**

 **Nickname (Optional):**

 **Occupation:**

 **Background:**

 **Traits (Minimum 2 good & 2 bad):**

 **Physical Description:**

 **Specialization (GANG MEMBERS ONLY):**

* * *

 _With that said, I hope you enjoy the story!_

* * *

 **Chapter 2: The Wayward Warrior**

 _Thump._

Dippens stirred, his eyes slowly opening as he felt an aching in his head pulse faintly. He groaned and reached up one hand to hold his head, but saw his hands bound with thick rope. He tried to speak, but found his mouth to be gagged with a cloth.

He looked around and saw a closed roof above him, and was laid alongside a plethora of stolen goods and….

 _Margery!_

He reached over to lightly slap his tied wrists onto Margery, who stirred at the contact. She eventually opened her eyes and groaned, as Dippens did. She looked around the small cabin they were in and panic set in.

"Mm! Mmmmmf!"

However, as she laid her eyes on Dippens, she calmed down a bit, and immediately started to look around for escape. She looked towards the entrance where her tied feet were facing, and felt hope for a moment. She gestured to Dippens, pointing at the closed flaps, but Dippens shook his head, signaling with his hands that the door was most likely locked.

His gaze wandered over to his right, seeing a small shaft of light shining through a crack in the wooden carriage.

"Mmf!"

He awkwardly shuffled over, placing his eye as close to the crack as possible. Through it, flickers of bright lights, structures, and the landscape swiftly flickered by, the only things Dippens could really visually grasp. He sighed in frustration, giving up on the effort. He looked back to Margery, whose eyes were filled with fear.

From what he saw, they were getting close to some sort of city, but he was not sure what to do with that. He was gagged, and he couldn't get it off to yell for help. He looked to Margery, who was rubbing her back against something. He tilted his head in confusion, until he saw the broken wood she was scratching her rope ties on. His eyes lit up, and he was about to look for a way to get off his own hand ties when the carriage came to a sudden stop. Both Margery and Dippens jolted forward, and Margery suddenly cried out through her gag. Dippens saw that she had scraped her forearm against the broken wood, and it was not bleeding profusely. He panicked, thinking that their captors would see her escape attempt.

The flaps to the inside of the carriage rustled, and opened up to reveal Ames, who stepped into the carriage and grabbed Dippens by his hand ties, dragging him out and onto the ground outside. Dippens' protests were muffled by his gag, but as he looked up, his eyes glittered at the sight in front of him.

A metropolis of machinery lay before him, with buildings of all types spanning miles into the horizon. All types of lights lit up the city, of different sizes and brightness. Blimps flew overhead in the night sky, with advertisements flashing across some of them. And the noise. Even from the distance they were at, Dippens could still hear the bustling of the city, the grinding of machinery, and the revving of engines. He was in awe of the whole spectacle.

He heard muffled noises to his right, and turned his head to see Ames dragging out Margery as well. He shoved her next to Dippens.

"Alright, face me, fopfaces."

The twins turned around to face Ames, who was laying his hand on the handle of his holstered sword idly. He had a grim expression on his face as he barked his demands.

"Here's what's gonna happen. We're taking you and the other farmers into _that_ city," He jabbed his index finger at the sprawling metropolis. "And you're gonna be compliant. If you're not, we'll make you compliant."

The twins said nothing. Dippens looked to his right to see extra carriages behind theirs, most likely loaded with the other farmers.

"Like, we'll beat you up."

The twins still said nothing.

"A-And insult you."

The twins looked at each other.

"And then beat you up aga- okay just...just get back in."

As they were heading back in, Ames grabbed Margery by the arm, to which she sucked through her teeth in pain.

"Oh damn, you got a bad cut." Ames took out a bandage from his coat pocket, and wrapped it around the wound, pulling off the excess bandage and stuffing it back in his coat pocket. Dippens looked at him with confusion. The guy went from an uncaring, unforgiving attitude, to remorse and sympathetic, then back cruel, then back to compassionate. His erratic behavior was alarming Dippens with every action.

 _This guy is so random,_ He thought to himself.

With that, the two were loaded back in the carriage, and the whole entourage took back off down the road.

* * *

Dippens woke up groggily to the sound of voices outside. He realized he had fallen asleep during the short trip, and chastised himself for doing so. He looked towards Margery, who was also sleeping. He pushed his foot into her leg, shaking it. She woke up, groaning as the cut on her arm throbbed in pain once more. She looked to Dippens, who jerked his thumb to the side of the carriage, signaling to what was happening outside. Margery nodded, and brought up her hand ties, which were broken, as she had finished cutting them off. She then worked to take off her foot ties.

Meanwhile, the voices outside got louder and more aggressive, and eventually the unsheathing of weaponry was heard.

 _ **BANG! BANG! BANG!**_

Dippens cringed as gunshots rang out from outside the carriage. He shivered in fear as he wondered what was going on outside. He saw Margery finish up untying the rope around her feet, and was about to move over to untie Dippens when the sheet covering the carriage was torn by a blade, accompanied by the screaming of a dying person. Blood splattered across the the carriage canvas, staining it red. The blade was pulled away, and Ames' face showed up, looking into the carriage.

"We need to get you out of-hey! Why are you out your ties?!"

Margery looked up to Ames as she was untying Dippens, a sly expression plastered on her face.

"Sounds like you're in quite the pickle there, Ames, so why don't we skedaddle before we're _all_ done for?"

Ames looked between the fighting outside and them several times. After struggling for a few moments, he finally made a decision, and swiped his sword across the remaining canvas of the carriage. The canvas in tatters, he reached his hand down into it, offering to take them out. Margery finished untying Dippens, then reached up to take his hand. She was yanked out, and was able to see the entire fight.

They were in a rather shady alleyway, and bandits from Ames' side as well as raiders in uniforms clashed. The uniformed raiders were winning significantly, showing to have more skill in battle as they cut down Ames' bandits left and right. Ames saw the massacre and his face contorted in anger. He thrusted his sword into the air, giving a guttural battle cry and charging into battle, cutting down a few raiders. Margery pulled out Dippens from the carriage, and immediately moved to pick up a sword from one of the dead raiders. Before she could even raise the weapon, she looked up to see a pistol cocked and aimed at her. She turned pale, beads of glistening sweat trickling down her face in those few milliseconds.

 _ **THWOP!**_

Ames came in, smacking the butt of his sword into the back of the raider's head. He crumpled to the ground. He gestured desperately to Margery.

"Let's go!"

She didn't need a second urge. She got up, and the three fled from the fight.

* * *

After 5 minutes of running, with Ames continually looking over his shoulder, he had finally decided they had evaded those raiders. He came to a stop, huffing as he was out of breath. They had found themselves in a large alleyway, with three different alleyways branching off in different directions. A rusty door sat in the corner of the alleyway.

"Let's…stop here." He panted. The twins nodded silently, also in the same shape. The twins sat down in the alleyway next to a door, with Ames pacing around in anger.

"Damn it! Damn it all!" He shouted, pounding his fist against the door several times.

Margery, though still untrusting of Ames, decided it would be necessary to give gratitude.

"Well, uh, thanks for, you know, back there-"

"I don't give a hoot. I just lost my crew to those damn _Ciphers_. Why did they attack us?"

Margery tilted her head.

"Ciphers...is that what those raiders are called?"

Ames looked up, furrowing his eyebrows and grunting.

"Yeah. Caesar's Ciphers. They're the most powerful crime syndicate across these lands. He's got a whole hierarchy of gang leaders, captains, crime lords, and other dreadful dickheads. Each of his followers is trained to be adept at both pistol and sword. His reach across these lands is...frightening."

Margery's mind was racing with all of this information.

"So...why did he attack you?"

"That's what i'm wondering. I'm sure this won't come as a surprise to you, but I kidnapped you and the other villagers as part of a deal with his syndicate. He pays me to bring new slaves for his factories."

Margery was pissed hearing this, and without thinking she punched Ames in the face. He grunted in pain and shock, turning his eyes up in fury.

"Ow, goddamnit! What the hell was that for?"

"You were going to sell us into _slavery_ , you son of a bitch?!"

Ames' eyes reflected regret as he turned them downwards.

"Look, I didn't _want_ to do the task. Usually I do mercenary stuff. But any person with a brain who knows about Caesar's Ciphers knows that you do _not_ want to incur their wrath. Believe it or not, I happened to be one of those people even though I carried out the bloody deal."

Margery was about to tell him off, but after hearing about just how extensive in influence these 'Ciphers' were, she could begrudgingly acknowledge where he was coming from.

Ames got up from the wall, sighing as he sheathed his sword.

"Well, i'm done here. You guys can enjoy the freedom you have, however long that lasts."

Margery felt panic rise in her throat thinking about losing their only protector and guide in this city. She and Dippens had been on their own for a long time, being orphans, but they were in an entirely new landscape, with different rules and cultures that greatly varied from their lives at the hamlet.

"Wait-"

Suddenly, the door in the alleyway swung open.

"Who the hell is banging on my damn door?"

The three turned their heads to look at an old man with greying hair and stubble. He wore a raggedy suit, as if he was a failing business man thrown out on the streets. As he saw the three, his eyes flashed, as if he saw an opportunity.

"Customers, eh? Well then, go ahead and come on in!"

"Uh, we're not here to-"

" _Come in!_ " The man said more forcefully.

After looking around the alleyway for some form of escape that didn't lead back to those raiders (and finding none), Ames decided it wasn't worth it to hash it out, so he walked in, rubbing the bridge of his nose in annoyance. Dippens and Margery followed behind.

"Wow!" Dippens exclaimed.

The place was surprisingly large on the inside. The entirety of the inside was oval-shaped, with dozens of display cases lining the sides. The variety of weaponry was huge, ranging from swords and flintlocks to hand cannons. A staircase on the right led up to the second floor, which ran in a circular ring around the edges of the walls, serving as a big balcony. Dippens could see several doors leading into what he assumed were different rooms. The same could be said about the first floor as well.

However, the whole place was quite derelict-looking, with the staircase leading up having broken steps, cobwebs lining display cases and the light fixtures, and other dilapidated features of the emporium that gave the whole place a sort of antique but rundown atmosphere.

"My god, this place is huge! How did you manage to afford such a place?"

The old man peered at Dippens.

"What you tryna say, boy?"

Dippens realized he had made an assumption of the man based on his clothing.

"Oh-uh, well, no reason, just...you know…"

The old man waved his hand dismissively.

"Ah, whatever. I get it." He said, turning his glance back to the grandiose interior. "Your assumption was right, anyways. I didn't start off with too much money, but the only reason I was able to buy this place was because of its location."

Margery tilted her head in question.

"Location…?"

The old man raised an eyebrow, gesturing back to the door they came from. "Did you not see the placement of this store? The front entrance has little chance of attracting actual customers. Well, that's not actually true…"

The old man grinned, and Dippens felt pressured to ask him to elaborate.

"What do you...mean?"

"Well, to clarify, when I started this place up, I had to give city hall a couple documents detailing this establishment and what I did. I put it down as a 'museum'. It's not."

He swept his arms outward, gesturing to the whole store.

"Welcome...to the Oversized Arsenal."

Silence ensued as he sat there, his arms still stretched outwards to present his emporium in a grand fashion.

"Then...what is it?"

The old man's grin dropped as he stared at Margery in dismay.

"It's a friggin' weapons store, what else?"

He chuckled, probably mentally patting himself on the back for how clever he was.

"So, then, who are your customers?"

"Take a gander. We're in a back alley, and this is a weapons store."

Margery was fast to pick up on his clues.

"Bandits, thieves, criminals basically."

"Bingo! Do you know much money I can make selling to those degenerates? Tons!" He exclaimed. "Even better, I got a supplier who runs into these constantly, so I don't need to worry about supply so much as...well...demand."

At that, he scratched the back of his head, starting to realize that he had gotten himself into a bit of a pickle.

"Now that I think about it...These weapons are taking up, uh, a lot of room."

His face lit up as he came up with an idea.

"I know! Why don't _you_ guys buy some? I don't mean the armored brute over there, but you scrawny kids are definitely gonna need some firepower to back you up if you're gonna be in this city. These streets are cruel and unforgiving to those who are unprepared." He gestured his hands with palms upward. "Think of it as...a head start."

Dippens was not against that idea. From what he had seen so far, this old man seemed to know a lot about this city.

 _Maybe it would be best to befriend this guy,_ Dippens thought.

He stuck his hand out, flashing a bright, toothy smile. "Well, before we get into that, we'd just like to introduce ourselves and get to know you first. I'm Dippens-" He pointed his free hand at his twin. "-That's Margery, and…" He looked over at Ames, giving a slightly skeptical look. "...That's Ames."

Ames grunted, noticing Dippens' expression.

The old man took Dippens' hand, shaking it. He was surprisingly strong, judging by how firm the handshake was.

"Nice to meet you all. My name's Stanley. But you can call me Grunchie."


	3. The Swindler Salesman

**_IMPORTANT:_**

 _In a couple chapters, I will be bringing in characters that will be a part of the story. They can be any of the following:_

 _\- Low-class worker_

 _\- Gang member_

 _\- Police constable_

 _\- Businessman/woman running a business/shop (has to pertain to the time period, 1896)_

 _\- Noble, or wealthy mogul_

 _\- Prostitute (Yes, it is for the plot)_

 _So I am asking YOU, the readers, to come up with characters that can be brought into this story. You must come up with their names, traits, a bit of background history on them, physical description and their specialization (melee - knives ; shooting - preferred gun) etc. I will PM you if I approve of the character, and bring them into the story. You can then see your own user-created character in the story!_

* * *

Template

 **Full Name:**

 **Nickname (Optional):**

 **Occupation:**

 **Background:**

 **Traits (Minimum 2 good & 2 bad):**

 **Physical Description:**

 **Specialization (GANG MEMBERS ONLY):**

* * *

 _With that said, I hope you enjoy the story!_

* * *

 **The Swindler Salesman (Ch. III)**

"O-Okay…Grunchie."

After saying the word, Dippens felt he had just said something inappropriate. He was definitely not going to stick with that nickname.  
They released the handshakes, and immediately Stanley continued his speal.

"So, what would you like to buy?"

At that, he gestured with both hands to the various display cases around the place.

"You, girl-"

"Margery."

"You look like the, uh, more...stealthy type." He had almost said 'dainty'. In all honesty, he didn't expect too many women customers, so he found it harder to cater to her. "I think you might be into something like the, er, Derringers. They're covert, and they have-"

"I like these." She put her finger on one of the display cases. Stanley walked over.

"Oh, so you found something already? Well that's good-Jesus!"  
He was taken aback by what she had picked out, which was a pair of brass knuckles next to a wooden billy club. He walked over, glancing between Margery and the weapons in the display case several times over, as if confirming she was looking at the right item. She nodded every time.

"Um...okay…" Stanley took a moment to think over something in his head. "That's not worth too mu- er, I mean that is quite the weaponry you have picked out! These brass knuckles are one of the strongest and sturdiest among their type, along with the billy club, which is made of refined oak wood, hard enough to make a solid dent in steel!"

As he went on to ramble on about the weaponry, Dippens and Margery ate up every word of it, their eyes widened as they marveled over the supposed grandeur of the weaponry before them.

Ames, however, having been exposed to plenty of con artists and swindlers, quickly caught on to what Stanley was trying to do. Though he was watching the door, he had been listening in on the sales pitch this man was trying to give, and he was absolutely sure Stanley was conning the twins.

Of course, he didn't give enough shites about the twins to save their wallets.

"Well, this is fascinating and all…" Dipper began, interrupting Stanley. "But how much are they gonna cost?"

He had said this as Stanley was on the topic of a sword cane, and he pursed his lips, his eyes seeming to drift slowly over Dippens and Margery, gauging how much these two might have on them.

"...I think 120 silver should do the trick."

"Huh?!"

"HAHAHAHAHAHAH!"

Everyone turned their heads towards Ames, who had bursted out laughing at sudden, who was comically slapping his knee.

"Are you serious?! _That's_ the amount you gauged from these twinks?"

Stanley chuckled nervously, his eyebrows furrowing.

"Wh-what are you talking about? Look, i'm just tryna drive a fair price, bud-"

" _120 bloody SILVERS?_ Does that swordcane grant immortality, as well?"

"No! Look-"

"When did you open up this establishment for shop?"

The sudden question threw off Stanley, though he recovered quickly and responded.

"About three days ago."

"Well, _Stan_ , did you think to set up a _sign_ before opening up shop?"

"Don't patronize me, you dunce! Getting a proper sign is _not_ easy-"

"We're getting off-topic." Ames interjected calmly, his wayward behavior off-putting to Stan even more so. "My point is, have you made any sales in the past three days?"

"No, because no one knows this is a shop yet."

"Then, before you _do_ begin selling, how about re-adjusting your scale of how much you can scam off of customers?"

Dippens and Margery turned their heads towards Stanley, both of their eyes filled with betrayal.

"You were trying to scam us?" Dippens questioned in an outraged tone.

"Wh-what? No, I-"

 _BANG, BANG!_

" _OY, OPEN UP, YA DODDERIN' MONGREL! YA PAYMENT'S OVA-DUE!"_

Everyone's head swiveled towards the rusty door, where a heavily-accented voice had resonated through. Stanley began sweating bullets, and rushed over to one of the doors on the left side of the emporium.  
"Oh no, oh no, no, no, no, no, _damn it all!_ I thought they said Fryday?!"

Ames cocked his head back over to Stanley, his eyebrows furrowed in question.

"Your debt deadline is _three days in_ to the opening of your shop? That's just bad planning."

"Quiet, you!" Stanley snapped as he stormed out of the doorway in a hurry, brandishing an odd-looking sword in one hand and a revolver in the other, much to everyone else' alarm. And yet, as he came up to the group, his eyes passed over the weapons on display, and Dipper could his eyes light up, a grin streaking across his face. He sheathed his weapons in their respective holsters, reaching his hands over to pop open the display case.

"So, you guys want these weapons, right?" He asked aloud as he took out the swordcane, then jogged over to the display case with the brass knuckles and wooden baton. "Well, I have a deal for you little killers-"

 _BANG! BANG!_

" _AH SAID FACKIN' OPEN UP YA TWIT, 'FORE WE COME IN THERE FORCEFULLY!"_

Stanley glanced quickly at the door, then back to the twins as he carried over the weapons in his hands.

"If you guys... _take care_ of those loan sharks at the door, you can keep these weapons. Sound like a deal?"  
Before he even finished, the twins were grabbing for the weaponry, with Dippens grasping the swordcane and sliding out the bronze knob hilt, pulling out the gleaming sharp metal hidden inside the oak by the handle, looking over it in fascination. Margery slid the brass knuckles onto her right hand and carried the wooden baton in her left, looking over them with a malicious glint in her eyes.

Meanwhile, Ames was watching the scene in dread, thinking about how irresponsible and negatively consequential it was to handle a couple of under-aged individuals the means to harm and kill.

As they were admiring their newfound equipment, Stanley pointed urgently at the door.

"Now, go take care of my problem, lads!"

Margery was the first to storm forward, brandishing her brass knuckles and wooden cudgel in a menacing fashion, whereas Dippens stood there for a moment, seeming to now contemplate whether this was a good decision or not.

However, Stan's urged pointing towards the door and his jerking of the head served to further wipe any doubt from Dippens' head, and he went for the door in a mix of ambitious and malicious fervor.

 _BANG! BANG!_

" _THAS IT, YA CUNTBAG! WE'RE COMIN'-"_

 _ **SMACK!**_

Margery threw open the rusty door forward, the bulk of it smashing into the loan shark speaking. He cried in pain as he fell backwards from the force of the blow, collapsing onto the pavement behind him. The three loan sharks that had gathered around him looked down at him in shock, then back up to Margery, who stood in the doorway menacingly, patting her baton on her other hand and grinning wolfishly.

"Nothing personal, ya meatheads. Just gotta pay off my own debt."

With that, she picked out a loan shark and swung the baton towards his torso.

 _ **CRACK!**_

" _ **AAAAAAAAHHH, BLOODY SHITE!"**_

The loan shark felt the crushing blow of the baton smack into his ribs, breaking and fracturing several of them. He crumpled to the concrete, holding his ribs in agony, and the battle sparked off.

One of the other loan sharks came forward and wrapped the cudgel in his hands around Margery's throat, pulling her back. She struggled against the hold, using one of her hands to claw at the weapon.

"Yeah, how do you like that, bitch?!"

 _ **BONK!**_

Dippens' swordcane came down upon the loan shark's head, a resounding smack heard as it caused the loan shark to yell in pain and release his hold on the weapon, holding his own head as he groaned. Margery coughed as the cudgel was released and clattered to the ground and, in fury, whirled around and threw a punch with the brass knuckles at the hurting loan shark.

 _ **CRUNCH!  
**_ The brass knuckles decimated his face, the sound of his nose and cartilage breaking as Margery's fist struck him. He screamed in utter pain and crumpled to the ground, gripping his face as blood poured out of his nose.

"You mangy li-uhl shitebags! Ahm' gonna skewer yus!"

Margery turned around just in time for the last loan shark to come running towards Margery, thrusting a knife at her throat.

 _ **SHICK!**_

The loan shark stopped, his knife inches from Margery's throat, and looked down at his torso. A large sword had been run through his stomach, the blade protruding from out of his back. He looked up slowly to see Ames, grimacing as he stared at the dying loan shark.

 _Shhick._

The loan shark released one last gasp as Ames pushed off the loan shark from his sword, the sound of flesh tearing echoing through the alleyway as the loan shark crumpled to the ground, unmoving, blood pouring from his wound.

Mabel sat there in shock, turning white as she realized how close to death she had come. Meanwhile, Ames moved over to the dazed loan shark on the ground, who had been hit with the door earlier, and smacked the butt of his sword into the head of the loan shark, knocking him unconscious. He looked up at Margery and Dippens, a solemn expression on his face.

"Armed fighting is not a game. You could die at any time, no matter how skilled you are. All it takes is one slip-up, one good strike, and you could be the one laying on the floor right now, pouring blood out of your wound."

Ames began cleaning up the bodies, dragging the unconscious and seriously injured ones out to the streets and dropping them off there. He took the dead body and brought it towards the door of the emporium. As he was about to walk back inside, he remarked one last sentence.

"Make sure you remember that for the future."

* * *

Stanley was overjoyed to hear the news of the loan sharks, jumping around his emporium with utter glee. Dippens and Margery themselves were jubilant that they had acquired weaponry for which to defend themselves with little adversity. Ames, however, was concerned about one particular subject.

"Those loan sharks didn't work for someone?"

Stanley laughed out loud as he made his way to a nearby table, seating himself on a chair.

"Of course not! Those sultry twigs were just extorting me since they saw me open up, and I couldn't do much but promise them payment at the time."

He snickered, leaning back in his chair and throwing his legs up on the table.

"Looks like _they_ paid their own price."

"That was a terrible joke. I think I might have contracted some sort of vermin disease from that verbal assault."

"Shut up, drama queen."

The whole group also took seats at the table, relaxing there. Everyone sat in comfortable silence for a couple moments.

"Wait, what the hell are we doing? You two got what you wanted, so why are you still here?"

That's when the twins turned their heads towards Stan, grinning. Stanley felt dread creep up his spine as he saw Dippens begin to speak.

"Stanley, we've been thinking about this for quite a bit. We have nowhere else to bunk in this big-ass city, and I was scouting out the emporium earlier-"

"Why the hell are you sneaking around my place?!"

"-And I noticed that you have quite a few empty rooms. We think-" Dippens wagged his finger between himself and Margery. "-That it would be great if we could bunk here for now."

Stanley drew his feet off the table and unfurled his hands from behind his head, setting them down on the table as he stared at Dippens with disbelief.

"Seriously? The hell do you think this is, a bed and breakfast?"

"We'll protect your wares and run errands in exchange for food, clothing, and shelter."

"Done."

Ames almost reeled back from the sudden 180 that Stanley had just pulled. Stanley noticed Ames' surprise and grinned.

"I was waiting for them to present their terms, and it's not like it's easy finding good protection around the slums here. This is a damn good deal. You joining up, cowboy?"

Ames was about to speak up and immediately reject the offer, but hesitated. He knew this city about as well as the Twins did, and he was not just yet ready to delve back into the cutthroat underworld that awaited him outside this emporium. Then again, having to be stuck with this group of misfits…

He groaned, placing his hands on his head as he stared at the green-felt table, which had the same look as a pool tabletop.

"...Sure, why not."

"Wonderful."

Despite his outward loathing for Ames due to his snarky remarks and attitude from earlier, he was secretly glad to have an actual adult and seemingly well-trained fighter as a part of his protection crew. His hubris only grew from there.

"Oh, and Stan, we had another idea in mind."

Stan directed his look over to Dippens, who was looking at him with a deadset expression.

"We wanted to start a gang."


	4. The Robin Hood of Ruffians

**The Robin Hood of Ruffians (Ch. IV)**

After a whole bout of guffawing by Ames and massive protest by Stan by the twins' most recent idea, they left the Oversized Arsenal to go and explore the slums they were at, promising to stay within three blocks of the OA and to mark out their hiding place.

As they moved down the block, Dippens marveled over how mechanically-ingrained the city was. Wherever they went, pipes would jut out of the sides of buildings and lead into other ones, wires stretched across over alleyways and streets, and street lights lined the sidewalks. The occasional walkway with ornate glass and reinforced steel would lead from one prominent building to another, allowing for citizens to look down over the streets and sidewalks below.

Dippens looked down the street, then swept his gaze upwards, noticing that structures with more stories and height were layered on raised foundations, almost like a wedding cake style. His eyes sparkled as he witnessed a blimp slowly emerge from behind one of those buildings, floating by almost leisurely. His torso swiveled towards Margery as he took a moment from his gazing.

"Margery, this place is a bloody mecca of machinery! There are so many different functions, so much to gaze at- FACKIN' 'ELL, PUT THAT AWAY YOU DIM-LIT MINCH!"

He was interrupted by the excited giggling of Margery as she pulled out her billy club, swinging it around nonchalantly. She was disappointed as he came up and pushed down the billy club she was holding.

"Marge, ya can't be wavin' that thing 'round so much! We 'ave no bloody idea what kind of things are allowed in this here place!"

Margery's face dropped in disappointment as she slowly lowered the baton in her hand, but quickly she became confused.

"Why are you speaking like that?"

Dippens raised his hands with an expression of 'really?'.

"You 'ave to blend in wit' ya surroundings, Marge. Oim bloody sure these knob-'eads speak just loike this."

Marge's eyes widened, as if she had discovered something amazing.

"I didn't think about that!"

Dippens rotated his hands, as if encouraging her to take on this routine.

"Oh- I mean, I didn't bloody think abou' that!"

Dippens cringed in regret.

"...Is that really what I sound like? Uh...nevermind, then. Let's drop the accents."

Marge seemed very disappointed by this.

"Get back 'ere, ya mangy cunt!"

The twins whipped their heads around to witness a small figure running down the middle of the cobblestone street in the distance, being chased by what Dippens discerned to be a group of heavily-armed guards of some sort, with flintlock pistols and varying swords. In the night, it was difficult to discern the look of both the pursuers and their target, but Dippens could see that the street was somewhat packed, and so the small figure was able to navigate between the crowds much more easily than the pursuers.

"Looks like trouble." Dippens commented nervously. It wouldn't be ideal to get into such bad business, especially as they were completely naive to this city and its landscape politically, economically and socially. He turned his head towards Margery. "Come on, Marge, we should get-"

"Dips, watch out!"

"Wha- AAAH!" Dippens exclaimed as he felt something slam into his torso, tumbling down.

"AAH!" A smaller voice echoed, and Dippens had realized the figure had bumped into him in her pursuit. He looked down to see the figure trying to get up, but struggled as their legs were entangled.

"Get off me, you damn lug!" The voice piped up, high-pitched and full of distress. Dippens realized it was a young girl from the feminine sound of her voice.

"You ran into me, you churlish fop!" Dippens fired back.

They finally untangled themselves from one another, but not before the pursuers had finally caught up.

"Blood 'ell, you fackin' twit." One of them cursed at the young girl, seemingly out of breath from running. "You put us through a long _fackin'_ marathon. I'm gonna beat you senseless 'fore I take ya back to Krayma. I'm sure he wouldn't mind us roughin' up the li'l bitch that robbed his bosses."

From what Dippens saw, the man, who was surrounded by 5 more of his cohorts, all brandishing various weaponry, was average sized, not too tall nor too short, but was well-built. His defined muscles gripped the bat in his hands in an intimidating manner, a malicious grin rippling across his face.  
The girl got up, hiding behind Dippens, who was surprised to suddenly be in the middle of this heated confrontation. The man tilted his head slightly as he noticed the action.

"You protectin' this li'l shit, boy? I suggest you step ou'a the way 'fore I assume ya mixed in with 'er."

Dippens was torn between a moral duty to help this little girl from these clearly brutish thugs, and to step out of the way from a situation he really had no business being in.

 _We're outnumbered, outclassed, and outgunned,_ Dippens thought nervously. _Maybe it'd be better to just leave this be…_

The man stepped forward and out of his crowd of lackeys, gripping his bat tighter in a show of force.

"Did you fackin' 'ear me, you li'l twit? I said get the fuck ou'a the-"

 _ **CRACK!**_

Dippens witnessed with shock as Margery's club came flying out of nowhere and cracked the brute across the face, sending blood spittle and a few teeth flying out of his mouth. He stumbled to the side, looking up on pained outrage at his assailant.

"Whoh't the f'hack-"

 _ **SMACK!**_

Another raised blow cracked him across the face, sending him collapsing into the ground. Dippens watched in horror as Margery ruthlessly beat at the brute huddled on the ground, bashing his torso and raised arms with the club and kicking him in the stomach repeatedly.

Finally, one of the thugs, who had snapped out of the shock, rushed forward in anger, raising a lead pipe and charging her. Dippens darted forward as he brought down the pipe, parrying it off of his cane. As the thug's weapon slid downwards and he stumbled forward, Dippens cracked him over the back with the cane, causing him to fall to the ground with a pained grunt.

The two of the remaining three brutes standing decided to charge Dippens in the moment, and Dippens recoiled in fear as he realized he was outnumbered and definitely not skilled enough to take on two enemies at once.

 _Whizzz-Thunk!_

"AAAAAAAAHHHH!" One of the bandits screamed as a small arrow slammed into his arm, and Dippens quickly looked over to see the little girl, having pulled back her sleeve to reveal a small crossbow mounted to her wrist in a mechanized fashion. She nodded grimly, pulling out a small dagger and rushing into battle.

Dippens turned back to the last brute confronting him, who had taken a moment to witness his friend drop to the ground in agony at the arrow in his arm. Dippens used this moment to slam the end of the cane into the man's stomach, causing the brute to grunt in pain and fold over, before Dippens cracked him over the head. The brute fell to the ground, dazed and incapacitated.

"PHLEASE, SHTOP! SHTOP!"

Dippens noticed that Margery was still beating away mercilessly at the first man, who was now oozing blood all over the cobblestone street. The sight sickened and shocked Dippens.

"What the hell, Marge?!" He began. "He's already down, quit-"

It was then he noticed the last brute, in a desperate attempt, charging at her with a hatchet and screaming in desperation. Dippens bolted forward with his cane, but realized he wouldn't be able to get there in time-

 _Whizzzz-Thunk!_

Dippens watched as the thug keeled over in agony, dropping his hatchet and falling to the ground, and Dippens' head swiveled over to the little girl, whose wrist crossbow was aimed at the thug, before lowering it. She nodded at him.

Margery quickly turned around and kicked the former assailant in the side of the head, causing him to yell in pain, before turning to Dippens, her eyes alight with the rush of combat.

"My god...that was so bloody fun, Dips!" She squealed in delight, jumping up and down in glee with her bloodied club. Dippens sighed in relief, looking down at his sword cane. He started to realize just how reliable and strong it was, after reminiscing on how the cane cracked down on the thug's back without a sense of breaking or fracturing.

"Fuckin' 'ell, these things are-"

"Amazing, I know!" Mabel interrupted, looking around at the carnage. "Damn, we really gave them a whackin'!"

But Dippens had already tuned her out, turning to the approaching young girl in the hood walking towards them cautiously.

"Thank you," She muttered. "For...savin' my life."

Dippens was a bit taken aback by the gratitude. He'd never been thanked for something like this in his life, so it was a bit of a shocker to receive one.

"Well…" He scratched the back of his head, chuckling lightly. "I mean...it was no biggie, really."

Despite the fact that he didn't even plan on intervening in the first place, he decided it would be better to just let the matter fall by the wayside. The girl looked up at him, and Dippens got a glance of her dark brown eyes. She looked down once more, seemingly shy.

"Erm...I know this is a bit...crude of me to ask, but...now that there's a bounty on me 'ead, bounty hunters and other distasteful people are gonna start lookin' for me and tryin' 'ta take me to that bastard who put it on me in the first place-"

"Wait," Dippens interrupted. "There's a bounty on your head?"

The girl looked to become more cautious after hearing the sentence, as if he and his sister would suddenly turn on her.

"W-Well, uh-"

"We're not gonna try to apprehend you…"

"Ellie. Ellie Parlow."

"Ellie. Hell, I mean, we're new to this city as it is-"

He stopped his sentence, thinking of how foolish it was to reveal naivete to someone in a foreign setting. However, Ellie seemed to respond positively to this info.

"Really? Well, I was goin' to say, if ya guys got a place that I can stay at, I'd be glad to help ya learn about the city. It's…" She distanced her hands in an exaggerated gesture to demonstrate the scale of the city, blowing air out of her mouth with wide eyes to further emphasize the point. "...Whaddya say?"

Margery shrugged.

"I've not a problem with that."

Dippens turned to Margery, annoyance plain on his face.

 _I wish she wouldn't up and go say this stuff right out the gate,_ He thought to himself. _One of her shining detrimental traits is not thinking far ahead at all._

He sighed. It was too late now, and he saw no point to turn her away, especially since she proved trustworthy by saving both him and his sister in combat.

"Alright, then. Follow us."

He was curious to note why she showed the slightest hint of confusion in her eyes, though it quickly turned to gratitude as she followed them back to their place.

* * *

"And so I told this guy, 'Why in the fuck would I give you five of my best men?" Ames chatted, Stanley listening idly as he leaned against his own chair. "And by this time, you know, he was just blabbering away about some 'eldritch secret' deep within some spooky island off the coast. I couldn't listen to anymore of it, so we just binded him and threw him on the side of the road and walked on."

"Oh yeah, I've definitely had my encounter of crazy kooks in my time. There was this one guy- Oh hold on a second. Hey, Solomon!"

From around the corner, a hulking mass of muscle, over 6 feet tall, came stumbling out, responding to Stanley with a deep, grating voice.

"Yes, Mr. Boss Man!"

Ames shifted in his seat slightly, still uncomfortable with the massive presence of this monstrous man. The first time Stanley called him out, Ames had pulled his sword in fear that Stanley had meant for Ames to be dealt with. Even now, his nerves were on edge from just being around him.

Nonetheless, it seemed to him that Solomon had no animosity or hostility within him whatsoever. As he came out, Stanley told him to bring more wine for the cups they were drinking out of, and Solomon bowed his head obediently, running off to go fetch the bottle.

"God, where did you get that monster?" Ames whispered to Stanley, once he was sure Solomon was out of earshot. Stanley grinned in a very smug fashion, noticing the discomfort in Ames' voice.

"Found him on the street in another city I was visiting, in a box. You wouldn't _believe_ how heavy he was to carry even as a newborn- Oh, look who's arrived! Wait who's that?" He turned towards the entrance, seeing Dippens and Margery come in plus a hooded little girl. They waved at Stanley and Ames and started heading over to the table.

"Here's the wine, Mr. Boss Man!"

Dippens turned around to see who was speaking, and nearly had a heart attack to witness a hulk lumbering towards them. In a panic, he raised his cane in abject fear.

"Dippens, it's fine!" Stanley interjected. "Put the damn cane down. That's Solomon." He said, pointing at the beast with the bottle, which fit comfortably in one hand because Solomon's mitts were so huge.

Dippens slowly lowered his cane, studying Solomon. He noticed Ellie had reacted in the same fashion, having raised her wrist crossbow.

"Why didn't you introduce him to us earlier?" He asked.

"He was out getting groceries." Stanley remarked with a grin. "And because of his...charms, often times he gets some great discounts."

Meanwhile, Margery was looking up at Solomon, her eyes lighting up in delight.

"Hello, Sully!" She squealed, drawing his attention. He smiled at her, which was surprisingly wholesome and cute in contrast to his startling size.

"Hello." He responded, and Dippens started to wonder, by the tinge of dumbness in his voice, if this man was actually mentally retarded.

From there, Margery and Sully, as he was now known, went off as Margery invited him to come talk about the city. Ellie watched them walk off elsewhere with a disturbed expression.

"How...what…"

"Try not to put too much thought into it." Dippens said with a sigh, walking up to the table Ames and Stanley were lounging at. "This is Ellie. She wants to bunk here for now, and in exchange she'll share a lot of info she has on the city-"

"Woah woah woah." Stanley interrupted. "Hold on. Why does she have to bunk here?"

Dippens seemed hesitant to answer, and Ames watched the spectacle without speaking.

"Well...she may be...a bit...wanted by the Nobility District…"

"What?!" Stanley exclaimed. "Why the hell are you giving refuge to someone wanted by some of the most powerful people in this city?! What the hell did she do to get _wanted_ by them?! They rarely put bounties on people!"

"I stole a lot of money from the nobles there," Ellie intervened, realizing that Dippens wasn't defending her very well. "Then I gave it to the poor in the lower districts."

Stanley gave her a look of ' _Fuck's wrong with you?"_ while Ames laughed his ass off, slapping his knee and everything.

"We got fuckin' Robin Hood's little sister in our humble abode!" He guffawed.

Stanley sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose.

"What kind of fuckin' fantasy bullshit does this city bring?" He inquired to himself. "First it was that damn elephant crisis, then the meteor, then those fuckin' sand tribes, and now _this._ It's only been a month!"

Dippens was very curious as to what events he was referencing, half-wishing he got to witness such spectacles.

"Well...what benefits could you possibly offer that would make us even _consider_ harboring a fugitive like you-"

"I know the locations of the majority of the banks around the nobility district, and the ways to get in. Even if they've been closed off because of me, I spotted multiple other weaknesses and routes into their precious treasuries."

"Welcome aboard!" Stanley stated, standing up and shaking her hand profusely. Dippens was flabbergasted by his 180, but not as much as Ames was. He stood up in outrage.

"What the hell! You're actually letting her stay?! Trusting her not to screw us over like she did with those nobles she robbed, if her stories are even true?"

"They are true!" Dippens interjected suddenly. "Me and Marge saw a group of thugs chasing her down, talking about how she robbed some bosses of this 'Kramer guy or somebody-"

"Woah woah, did you say Kramer?"

Dippens stared at Ames with confusion.

"Um...yeah, what about it?"

Ames let out a frustrated groan, taking a seat and leaning over, seemingly contemplating something.

"Fuckin' shit."

"What?" Dippens asked nervously.

Ames sighed ominously, leaning back against his chair.

"Guess he settled down. I knew him for some time, a real brutish piece of work. From when I last saw him on the road, he was leading a band of over 250 mercenaries."

Stanley huffed.

"It'd be typical of the nobility in this city to hire mercs as their personal henchmen. That's how the CC got to be one of the most powerful gangs around."

Dippens tilted his head in curiosity.

"CC?"

"Caesar's Ciphers, the biggest gang in the city, and undoubtedly one of the most powerful syndicates across Erona. They have influence across every sector of this place and beyond, and they're rumored to have a hand in controlling the Royal Family."

 _Knock, knock._

Everyone looked towards the door.

"The hell?" Stanley said aloud. "Everyone that approaches that door is either trying to bust it down or is allowed in here. Is this my first door-to-door salesman?"

Dippens walked over towards the door, readying his cane. He peeked through the peep hole.

"What the…"

On the other side, from what he could see, a young, 20ish something man was standing there nervously, fiddling with his fingers. He had the look of your average thug, wearing a grey flatcap, a worn vest, and black pants. He didn't seem to have any threatening presence, but Dippens remained skeptical.

"Who the fuck is it?" He said loudly, trying to sound intimidating. The man jumped slightly.

"U-Um...Hi. Uh...I'm here to...erm...join?"

"...Join what?"

"...We-well...I saw yous on the street, fightin' an' stuff, and I just got, like, really into it, you know? I'd, uh, i'd love to fight and do some cool shit loike that. So, uh...can I join? Your gang, I mean."

Dippens was taken aback by the suggestion, but also seriously intrigued.

"I'll...get back to you on that."

"O-Okay."

Dippens receded from the door, immediately running over to where Ames and Stanley were sitting.

"Guys, guys! He wants to join our gang!"

Stanley, who was in the midst of sipping his wine, nearly choked on the beverage as the words graced his ears, coughing profusely, while Ames facepalmed.

"Our WHAT?!"

"This is unreal…"

"Well, I mean-"

"I'm sorry," Stanley interrupted. "But when exactly did we turn into a _gang?"_

"Fucking hell." Ames grumbled. "I didn't come here to get involved in the bullshit that this town is clearly on. It's been, what, _half_ a day? How the _fuck_ did this even happen?"

"Well…"

Ames and Stanley stared Dippens down, and the withering stares were too much for him.  
"I-I'm sorry! We got involved in some shit with Ellie, and those guys I was talking about, and we kinda beat the shit out of them-"

"Don't-" Stanley raised his hand. "...Don't say anymore. I'm starting to understand our predicament."

He sighed deeply, looking into his wine.

"So far, we've severely beaten some loan sharks -which I'll admit was my fault- but now, we've also beaten and/or killed a group of henchmen working under the leader of an infamous mercenary group?"

He shrugged once.

"Fuck it. Let's start a gang."


End file.
